Yorkies & Toddlers
 

Hi,

I'm looking to get some advice from the wonderfully knowledgeable people from this site. My husband and I would like to get a dog for our small little family. We have a 3 yr old daughter who is extremely gentle with dogs. I've heard and read that yorkies are no good with children because of their small size and sometimes their temperament. My mother has an 11 year old Pom who loves my daughter and she is very careful with Shadow and gentle. She knows to give him his space when needed and doesn't even touch his face or get up closer to his face because I've taught her to respect him. Poms are notorious for being horrible with kids but Shadow has been the exception and has been wonderful with my daughter since she was a baby. We have also had experience with yorkies. My brother and sister in law had one for nearly 10 years. She was a wonderful sweet mild mannered girl that we loved and cared for when they needed a babysitter. They soon had my nephew and Miki was amazing with Conner even as a small baby and into toddler age. Thoughts and opinions on getting my daughter a yorkie? Any feedback or experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Daisy

I have a 3 year old grandaughter who is fantastic with ours you just have to teach them from the beginning and our dogs love her too. Good luck :) and welcome to YT.

Both ny older children were so gentle great listeners very mellow, still waited until they were at least 5they to add pets.

We had a new skin kid after having the dogs...hmmmm how do I say this...he's not like my other kids I can't wait for him to be 5her and dog trained and neither can the dogs...

I have never had a problem. My kids were taught to treat the dogs with respect and to be careful with them. When we had babies, the dogs were introduced to the babies by laying the baby down on the floor and uncovering him, then having the dogs come and check him out from head to foot any which way they liked. They became close and protective of those babies! Our son has a yorkie that is very good with his 2 small sons too. Some of it may have to do with the dog's personality, but I haven't had any problems whatsoever. I do keep a close eye on them though.

I think it can work in the right family but unfortuately it doesnt in alot of familys and dog bites kid and gets rehomed. Its not just about teaching the toddler to e gentle around the dog its also about finding a dog that has the temperment to put up with loud noises the child makes and quick actions

Hi and welcome to YT! We have a 4 1/2 son and our 7 year old Yorkie Georgie. The most important thing IMO is showing both attention and love and helping them learn how to coexist. Our situation was a little different because Georgie came first so he had to realize Isaiah was going back where he came from LOL. It requires patience and love but it's doable. Isaiah is so gentle and has learned to approach Georgie in a calm way and our boys do great together;)

I agree but I do feel like it's about teaching the child to be gentle. If Isaiah approaches Georgie in a calm way he gets a totally different reaction from him then if he is loud and acts wild. Isaiah at 4 1/2 has realized that and understands Georgie is 4lbs it's a defense mechanism. He has even said "Oh look Mommy I was quietly talking to Georgie and now he is licking me and wants a belly rub." Georgie was the only boy for almost 3 years and while it hasn't always been easy I attribute a lot of it to how Isaiah treats Georgie and less about Georgie changing his personality.

IMO people are so quick to rehome because their Yorkie snapped at their child.....the child needs to learn to respect the Yorkies space and understand how to treat them as well.

I think it's both you have to teach the kids to respect the dogs and the dogs to respet the kids we can't always tip toe around the dog they have to get used to their family and how they are that's why I think a lot of breeders won't sell a small yorkie to a family with small kids but they will however sell one that will probably be more of a standard size (6-7lbs) size makes a difference I guess I love that my JoJo was a standard size he was able to keep up with my kiddos and now jasper will be around the same size so it worked out for us. Good luck finding your yorkie baby :)

I do not like to sell my babies to families that have a child under 6 years of age. It isnt so much the child being gentle with the dog, although that is VERY important, it has more to do with the fact that a toddler does not have the physical maturity to safely navagate around a small dog. They trip and fall and stumble, because they are just not developmentally mature yet. There are several threads on the forum now, that announce the Yorkie was stepped on. With a small dog, you know what that can result in. The child certainly did not mean to do it, but it happened....they simply do not possess the mental maturity or the motor skills necessary to execute avoidance tactics! I always "save" my larger Yorkies to go to homes with children 6 and up, but I know the personalities of the dogs I breed and produce, and my larger dogs have wonderful, tolerant personalities, so sweet and playful, they do well around every family I have ever placed one with. They are large enough they can romp and play with the child, and they are not nervous and fearful of the child and the boisterous play. If you get the right size Yorkie with the right personality, I think Yorkies are wonderful around children.

Before having the newest skin kid I'd have disagreed but I completely agree now.
Yes kids are easily trained but not until they are of an age that permits this if their natural personality does not.
Personally I've found screaching spontaneously excited teenaged girls are also an annoyance or cause of anxiety.
While they are gentle etc gettibg then to look dowb beyond the cwll they are texting on is fruaterating, Elvis stays with me if ny daughters friends are around.

My youngest son was 15 when we got Ziva- his feet were bigger than she was!
I really like that our girls are 7 & 8 pounds- with 5 people in our home these two are a little sturdier with such friendly , easygoing personalities. I would try to look for a larger Yorkie in a house with children or lots of members.

How about yelling and screaming adults when football is on? LOL Georgie doesn't spend much time in the room with us during football season. Heck he got under the covers when I watching Olympic swimming just now LOL

I totally agree with you and if Georgie came after our son I would also like to a more sturdy and bigger fur boy. That's not to say it can't work but there is a little less worry when they are a little bigger.

I guess I don't have a solid opinion on this subject. I think that a larger Yorkie is better for a family with children. Even though your daughter is very gentle with little dogs most families want and need a dog that can take part in family activities and vacations. Sure a small one can do that but you do have to have special considerations for a little dog under 8lbs. There is more danger to them from other dogs as well as visiting children. If you later have other children will you have as much time to teach them to be gentle and watch them every second around the dog?

The breed standard for a Yorkier is 7lbs and under but it seems that many people are breeding Yorkies that are much larger than that. It depends a lot on the temperament of the dog as well. Some Yorkies can be very temperamental while others are quite outgoing and stable. There are so many things that change in a family's life and often the dog ends up needing a new home. I would think long and hard about getting a Yorkie. There are many good dogs for young families. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a beautiful little dog that has a wonderful personality for a family.

LoL those too Elvis sits on my lap during boxing on tv and ironically HGTV shows...that darn doorbell sets him into fits!


Because we gace kids in the home I went with large breeds or out of standard yorkies...over 10and pounds hobestly I'm too clumsy for a tiny.

I think it's completely possible! It takes patience, training and diligence on the owners/parents part. :)

I do think it's advisable to get a pup who is going to be on the larger side though, as I think it's worrisome no matter how gentle the child is, to be living with a 2-3lb dog.

Jackson is my 16lb boy, so I don't worry too much with him. He's sturdy, but still fragile in a lot of ways too. I live with my sister who is now 4 1/2. She was under a year old when I brought 9 week old Jackson home. The two have grown up together which I think has helped. He is much more tolerant with her than strange children... he loves kids in general, but definitely prefers a quiet gentle kid.

Now I must say, my sister is a wild one. He ignores her when she's jumping and down, or running around the house (or sometimes he runs along with her) and they have a mutual respect that he wouldn't have with just some random child coming in the house and doing the same thing. She's not necessarily a "gentle" child, lol, so we had to TEACH her how to be with Jackson. And they make a very cute pair. They totally have a love/hate relationship... Emma can get frustrated if he doesn't do something she wants him to do, and he can get irritated with her pestering him, but overall things run very smoothly and they are just like good friends.

Must say though... I'm glad she's not mine and it's not us 3 together 24/7! When they were both younger, it was a lot of work when I had just her and him and nobody else to help. I like being able to give her back! ;) Now that they are both a bit older (he will be 4, and she is 4) it works out very nicely.

Here they were in 2011:

Our Laddy loves kids he has been around them since he was 9 weeks old. Kyra "likes" the kids and always greets them when they come over but prefers the older ones. Lolita would greet the kids then go lay in her bed. I think if the kids are taught dog manners and caring the yorkies adapt quite well to the enviroment they are in. When we were raising our own children we were told poms were not good with kids but we had them all through the years our children were growing up and they were wonderful with them.

Well Charlee is my first yorkie...but when I was three the family dog was a Chihuahua, and I remember my father bringing her home one Sunday when I was about 3. I remember because I got to sit with my Dad in his chair and think of names for her. (She was named Judy...but don't ask me why :)) What I remember growing up with her was 1. She was my Dad's dog...first and foremost...although we spent lots of time together. 2. I learned that if you stick your face in the face of a dog (we were both down on the floor), you might get your nose bit...and then your parents will say, "Give the dog space" :D 3. She became my best friend, although she always preferred my father, that dog would let me do anything to her...she was incredibly tolerant...I put her in my old dresses, I took her down the slide on my lap, I took her for bike rides in the basket of my bike...I could tell her anything...4. She was brave...she chased a German Shepard off our property once, and when accidentally left at a picnic area during a family road trip, she waited patiently for us to realize she was missing and turn around and come back for her. She was only 6-7 lbs, in a time when dogs didn't go everywhere (and Chihuahuas didn't need to be carried everywhere), and no one socialized them to other dogs...she went to the vet and she lived with us (with no formal training). But as I write this post, I keep tearing up, because she taught me all I know about how to treat others, and dogs in particular. Chi's are also not known to be good with kids, but my opinion will always be that in any family with small children, the dogs belong to the adults, and if the adults are prepared to do the work to manage both the dogs and the child's behaviours (supervision constantly), then there is nothing wrong with bringing a dog into a house with children, or in having children in a house with a dog...but always always always it is the responsibility of the adults to keep everyone (dogs and kids) safe.